Population: Zero (18 Jan. 1974)

The entire population of the small town of Norris has been knocked out by an unknown sonic device. Against Oscar Goldman's orders, Steve Austin insists on investigating because he knew a ... See full summary »

Director:

Jeannot Szwarc

Writer:

Elroy Schwartz

Stars:

Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Don Porter

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Lee Majors	...	Col. Steve Austin
Richard Anderson	...	Oscar Goldman
Don Porter	...	Dr. Stanley Bacon
Penny Fuller	...	Dr. Chris Forbes
Paul Carr	...	Police Officer Paul Cord
Paul Fix	...	Joe Taylor
Walter Brooke	...	General Harland Tate
Morgan Jones	...	Major Phillips
Colby Chester	...	Joe Hollister
John Elerick	...	Corporal Ed Presby
Virginia Gregg	...	Mrs. Nelson
Stuart Nisbet	...	Harry Johnson
Bob Delegall	...	1st Technician
David Valentine	...	Teletype Operator
Michael Santiago	...	Frank

Storyline

The entire population of the small town of Norris has been knocked out by an unknown sonic device. Against Oscar Goldman's orders, Steve Austin insists on investigating because he knew a lot of the town's 23 inhabitants during his high school years.

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Plot Keywords:

cyborg | cult tv | ultrasonic | bionics | woman doctor | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1974 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 30, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Silverton Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

48 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Footage of the "dead" town is taken from The Andromeda Strain.

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Goofs

When Steve pulls the metal fencepost out of the ground, the anchoring concrete is almost perfectly cylindrical. In subsequent shots, the concrete has radically altered its shape and is much narrower at the tip.

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Quotes

Oscar Goldman: We've ordered the army to seal off the town.
Col. Steve Austin: Well what's the name of the town?
Oscar Goldman: A place called Norris.
Col. Steve Austin: Norris? I went to high school 20 miles from there.
Oscar Goldman: Steve, will you stay out of this, please?
Col. Steve Austin: But Oscar, I know those people.
Oscar Goldman: You're too valuable for this job, besides I got another assignment for you. If I need you, I'll let you know.
Col. Steve Austin: Well fine Oscar, you do that. You can reach me at army headquarters in Norris.

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Connections

Edited into The Bionic Woman: The Deadly Missiles (1976)

User Reviews

still no bionic score or slo-mo but it works even without

After seen the first 3 flicks about the SMDM this was the first entry into the series which ran for 5 years. And it still fits perfectly after seen the flicks.

Steve Austin (Lee Majors) is still some kind of macho who picks up easily girls in a way James Bond did and uses funny one-liners. His bionic powers are used throughout this episode but still no use of the slow motion when he's using his powers or even the use of his bionic eye. There's one helicopter scene were they want to know the number of the heli but Steve didn't use his powers. Still, it's worth watching and it moves slowly but without boring parts. Maybe sometimes it is a bit cheesy but overall it still works. i was surprised by the fact that the bionic score wasn't used and one scene could have used that when Steve is throwing some kind of stake towards shuttles.

SMDM survived the time, it's out there and easy to find which I recommend.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 1/5